Re: [PATCH 2/2] tools/memory-model: Add write ordering by release-acquire and by locks

From: Paul E. McKenney
Date: Thu Jul 05 2018 - 11:30:01 EST


On Thu, Jul 05, 2018 at 10:21:36AM -0400, Alan Stern wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Jul 2018, Will Deacon wrote:
>
> > Hi Alan,
> >
> > On Tue, Jul 03, 2018 at 01:28:17PM -0400, Alan Stern wrote:
> > > On Mon, 25 Jun 2018, Andrea Parri wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 07:30:08PM +0100, Will Deacon wrote:
> > > > > > > I think the second example would preclude us using LDAPR for load-acquire,
> > > >
> > > > > I don't think it's a moot point. We want new architectures to implement
> > > > > acquire/release efficiently, and it's not unlikely that they will have
> > > > > acquire loads that are similar in semantics to LDAPR. This patch prevents
> > > > > them from doing so,
> > > >
> > > > By this same argument, you should not be a "big fan" of rfi-rel-acq in ppo ;)
> > > > consider, e.g., the two litmus tests below: what am I missing?
> > >
> > > This is an excellent point, which seems to have gotten lost in the
> > > shuffle. I'd like to see your comments.
> >
> > Yeah, sorry. Loads going on at the moment. You could ask herd instead of me
> > though ;)
>
> Indeed; and the answer was as expected. Sometimes one gains additional
> insights by asking a person, though.
>
> > > In essence, if you're using release-acquire instructions that only
> > > provide RCpc consistency, does store-release followed by load-acquire
> > > of the same address provide read-read ordering? In theory it doesn't
> > > have to, because if the value from the store-release is forwarded to
> > > the load-acquire then:
> > >
> > > LOAD A
> > > STORE-RELEASE X, v
> > > LOAD-ACQUIRE X
> > > LOAD B
> > >
> > > could be executed by the CPU in the order:
> > >
> > > LOAD-ACQUIRE X
> > > LOAD B
> > > LOAD A
> > > STORE-RELEASE X, v
> > >
> > > thereby accessing A and B out of program order without violating the
> > > requirements on the release or the acquire.
> > >
> > > Of course PPC doesn't allow this, but should we rule it out entirely?
> >
> > This would be allowed if LOAD-ACQUIRE was implemented using LDAPR on Arm.
> > I don't think we should be ruling out architectures using RCpc
> > acquire/release primitives, because doing so just feels like an artifact of
> > most architectures building these out of fences today.
> >
> > It's funny really, because from an Arm-perspective I don't plan to stray
> > outside of RCsc, but I feel like other weak architectures aren't being
> > well represented here. If we just care about x86, Arm and Power (and assume
> > that Power doesn't plan to implement RCpc acquire/release instructions)
> > then we're good to tighten things up. But I fear that RISC-V should probably
> > be more engaged (adding Daniel) and who knows about MIPS or these other
> > random architectures popping up on linux-arch.
>
> I don't object to having weak versions of acquire/release in the LKMM.
> Perhaps the stronger versions could be kept in the hardware model
> (which has not been published and is not in the kernel source), but
> even that might be a bad idea in view of what RISC-V is liable to do.
>
> > > > C MP+fencewmbonceonce+pooncerelease-rfireleaseacquire-poacquireonce
> > > >
> > > > {}
> > > >
> > > > P0(int *x, int *y)
> > > > {
> > > > WRITE_ONCE(*x, 1);
> > > > smp_wmb();
> > > > WRITE_ONCE(*y, 1);
> > > > }
> > > >
> > > > P1(int *x, int *y, int *z)
> > > > {
> > > > r0 = READ_ONCE(*y);
> > > > smp_store_release(z, 1);
> > > > r1 = smp_load_acquire(z);
> > > > r2 = READ_ONCE(*x);
> > > > }
> > > >
> > > > exists (1:r0=1 /\ 1:r1=1 /\ 1:r2=0)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > AArch64 MP+dmb.st+popl-rfilq-poqp
> > > > "DMB.STdWW Rfe PodRWPL RfiLQ PodRRQP Fre"
> > > > Generator=diyone7 (version 7.49+02(dev))
> > > > Prefetch=0:x=F,0:y=W,1:y=F,1:x=T
> > > > Com=Rf Fr
> > > > Orig=DMB.STdWW Rfe PodRWPL RfiLQ PodRRQP Fre
> > > > {
> > > > 0:X1=x; 0:X3=y;
> > > > 1:X1=y; 1:X3=z; 1:X6=x;
> > > > }
> > > > P0 | P1 ;
> > > > MOV W0,#1 | LDR W0,[X1] ;
> > > > STR W0,[X1] | MOV W2,#1 ;
> > > > DMB ST | STLR W2,[X3] ;
> > > > MOV W2,#1 | LDAPR W4,[X3] ;
> > > > STR W2,[X3] | LDR W5,[X6] ;
> > > > exists
> > > > (1:X0=1 /\ 1:X4=1 /\ 1:X5=0)
> >
> > (you can also run this yourself, since 'Q' is supported in the .cat file
> > I contributed to herdtools7)
> >
> > Test MP+dmb.sy+popl-rfilq-poqp Allowed
> > States 4
> > 1:X0=0; 1:X4=1; 1:X5=0;
> > 1:X0=0; 1:X4=1; 1:X5=1;
> > 1:X0=1; 1:X4=1; 1:X5=0;
> > 1:X0=1; 1:X4=1; 1:X5=1;
> > Ok
> > Witnesses
> > Positive: 1 Negative: 3
> > Condition exists (1:X0=1 /\ 1:X4=1 /\ 1:X5=0)
> > Observation MP+dmb.sy+popl-rfilq-poqp Sometimes 1 3
> > Time MP+dmb.sy+popl-rfilq-poqp 0.01
> > Hash=61858b7b59a6310d869f99cd05718f96
> >
> > > There's also read-write ordering, in the form of the LB pattern:
> > >
> > > P0(int *x, int *y, int *z)
> > > {
> > > r0 = READ_ONCE(*x);
> > > smp_store_release(z, 1);
> > > r1 = smp_load_acquire(z);
> > > WRITE_ONCE(*y, 1);
> > > }
> > >
> > > P1(int *x, int *y)
> > > {
> > > r2 = READ_ONCE(*y);
> > > smp_mp();
> > > WRITE_ONCE(*x, 1);
> > > }
> > >
> > > exists (0:r0=1 /\ 1:r2=1)
> >
> > The access types are irrelevant to the acquire/release primitives, so yes
> > that's also allowed.
> >
> > > Would this be allowed if smp_load_acquire() was implemented with LDAPR?
> > > If the answer is yes then we will have to remove the rfi-rel-acq and
> > > rel-rf-acq-po relations from the memory model entirely.
> >
> > I don't understand what you mean by "rfi-rel-acq-po", and I assume you mean
> > rel-rfi-acq-po for the other? Sounds like I'm confused here.
>
> "rfi-rel-acq" is the relation which was removed by the first of my two
> patches (it is now back in business since Paul reverted the commits),
> and "rel-rf-acq-po" is the relation that was introduced to replace it.
>
> At any rate, it looks like instead of strengthening the relation, I
> should write a patch that removes it entirely. I also will add new,
> stronger relations for use with locking, essentially making spin_lock
> and spin_unlock be RCsc.

Only in the presence of smp_mb__after_unlock_lock() or
smp_mb__after_spinlock(), correct? Or am I confused about RCsc?

Thanx, Paul